The present invention concerns a method and a device for setting the direction and/or the inclination of an elongated rock drilling apparatus. The elongated rock drilling apparatus is swingable by means of at least one positioning power means. The inclination of the elongated rock drilling apparatus is sensed by means of pendulum-type angle sensing means.
Both manual and automatic devices for positioning an elongated rock drilling apparatus to a desired direction are previously known. The manual devices comprise a pendulum or level system attached to the rock drilling apparatus. In a pendulum system the deviation or deflection of a pendulum is read on a graduated scale and in a level system the position of a bubble is watched in a reading window.
The present invention relates to the automatically operating type of positioning devices. One example of such prior art is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,896,885 wherein the device comprises inclination and course indicators and the inclination in predetermined directions is obtained by trigonometric calculations. Another example is disclosed in British Pat. No. 1,325,240 wherein in a first step the rock drilling apparatus is positioned manually to a desired drilling direction whereupon a mounting bracket or carrying member for a pendulum is positioned manually such that its vertical symmetry line coincides with the vertical line in which position, thus, the carrying member is horizontal. Swinging of the drill boom causes the pendulum to transmit signals to positioning power means which bring the rock drilling apparatus back to its manually prepositioned direction.
One object of the present invention is to provide a device by which the rock drilling apparatus can be rapidly positioned for drilling of holes having desired inclination in different directions.
Another object of the invention is to provide remote control of the inclination setting, for instance from an operator's cab. Remote control is possible and desired particularly in large drill rigs.